The story of two Teessiders and a Yorkshire Schnauzer turning their first house into their first home, one DIY project at a time.

Wednesday, 30 March 2016

Amsterdam: Ice Bar.

Earlier in the month we went on a trip to Amsterdam, where we ate lots of food, took in lots of sights and of course, visited the Ice Bar!

I visited the Ice Bar in London a few years ago so kind of knew what to expect when we decided to go the same bar in Amsterdam, but this one was so much better, cheesier, but better! We booked tickets before we went and combined them with a canal tour which in total cost us about £25 each which is such good value!

When we arrived in Amsterdam we went to pick our tickets up from the ticket office and booked a slot for 3 p.m. We were asked to arrive 20 minutes earlier and so at 2.40 p.m. the four of us were given our welcome drinks in the first part of the Ice Bar! The first area you come to is like a normal bar where you have the choice of a Heineken beer or a cocktail as a welcome drink. I opted for a glass of Sex on the Beach - my go to holiday drink! We waited in this bar for a little while until a bell rang just before 3 p.m. and big screens around the bar came to life and played a video clip of a pirate telling us about a voyage we were about to go on through the Antarctic - I did say it was cheesy!

Next up, we were invited through to the Ice Bar itself, donning a pair of gloves and a quilted jacket courtesy of the bar to attempt to keep us warm whilst in there. Our tickets included two further drinks in the Ice Bar itself. The choice included Heinken beers, vodka shots or juice. I was feeling game so opted for two vodka shots. All the drinks were given in glasses made of ice which made my whipped cream vodka shot and my nuts and nougat vodka shot taste even more amazing! I just wish I caught the name of the vodka because it tasted unreal, mmm.

The Ice Bar itself, as you can imagine, was covered in ice - the walls, the floor, the seats, the tables - you name it, it was made of ice. There were lots of random artifacts frozen into the ice and random nooks and crannies built into the architecture of the bar which were a cool touch.

We managed to stay in the bar long enough to drink our drinks and have a little explore before the -9.9°C temperatures sent us running for a hot drink and some normal temperatures! I would definitely recommend the Ice Bar. It's such good value and a unique experience.